Huge funeral attendance

October 28, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Automobiles, China, E-cars, Electric Cars, Germany, Industry, Strikes, Volkswagen, VW Leave a comment

At Germany’s automobile industry burial.

Volkswagen AG workers in Germany will pause production on Monday to join rallies about the automaker’s plans for unprecedented factory closures in the country.

Labor leaders plan to inform employees at 11 German sites about the latest on negotiations with the company. The events kick off a contentious week for Europe’s biggest carmaker, which is expected to post declining sales and profit when it reports third-quarter results on Wednesday…

The automaker has had a rough few weeks since it issued its second profit warning in three months in late September. While its premium brands including Audi and Porsche have been the carmaker’s biggest source of profit in recent years, they’re now struggling. Porsche AG on Friday said it’s weighing cost cuts and reviewing its model lineup after a demand slump in China hit its profits.

What? Even more security?

October 10, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: China, Espionage, Germany, News, Politics, Russia, Security, Spies Leave a comment

Germany is already more secure than Fort Knox when it comes to espionage as it is.

Although it’s more like the Fort of Hard Knocks, come to think of it.

Germany to beef up security checks amid spying fears – Germany’s government has said the country will tighten security checks for staff in sensitive areas of government and business. The move comes after an increase in suspected espionage cases…

Several cases of alleged spying for Moscow have rocked Germany since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In one case, a former German intelligence officer was accused of passing information to Russia that showed Berlin had access to details of Moscow’s mercenary operations in Ukraine.

Chinese espionage has also been a growing concern. In April, the most high-profile such case saw an aide to a German far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) member of the European Parliament arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing.

Not so quiet on the Western Front

August 21, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Home Cooking Tags: Asia, China, Chips, COVID, Dresden, EU, Europe, Germany, Investments, Microchips, Taiwan, TSMC Leave a comment

The Chip War Western Front.

EU approves German state aid for $11 billion TSMC chip plant – Taiwan’s TSMC (2330.TW), opens new tab on Tuesday launched a major new computer chip plant in Dresden, Germany, expected to be a key supplier to European industry and carmakers after the EU Commission approved 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) worth of state aid.

The large aid award for the project, which will cost 10 billion in all, is the biggest approved so far under the EU Chips Act, and the first in Germany.

It is also the first project in Europe under TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, and is expected to improve Europe’s resiliency if a chip shortage of the type experienced during the COVID pandemic happens again.

Let’s diversify!

August 13, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: China, Dependency, Diversification, Exports, Germany, Industry, Manufacturing, Trade Leave a comment

Just like we did with our dependency on Russian gas a few years back.

It’s called diversification through more dangerous entanglement.

German investment in China soars despite Berlin’s diversification drive – Politicians warn of rising geopolitical tensions but country’s carmakers stick with Chinese manufacturing.

German direct investment into China has risen sharply this year, in a sign that companies in Europe’s largest economy are ignoring pleas from their government to diversify into other, less geopolitically risky markets.

The Empire of Evil is now Germany’s biggest trading partner!

August 9, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: China, Economy, Exports, Germany, Partners, Trade, USA Leave a comment

No, not China. US-Amerika itself.

US tops China as Germany’s biggest trading partner – The United States overtook China as Germany’s biggest trading partner in the first half of 2024, according to preliminary German statistics office data, as Berlin’s drive to reduce dependency on Beijing takes shape amid a resilient U.S. economy.

German imports and exports to the world’s largest economy totalled around 127 billion euros ($139 billion) from January to June, while for China the figure was 122 billion euros, according to Reuters’ calculations based on the data.

How offensive

August 1, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: 5G, China, Cyber Attacks, Espionage, Germany, Huawei, Infrastructure, Sabotage, Spies Leave a comment

Time to go on the defensive, again.

Germany blames China for ‘serious’ cyber attack – Berlin says Beijing behind 2021 hack on precision mapping agency…

The BKG, itself a part of the interior ministry, collects precision data about “the properties and position of every point on the surface of [the] country,” according to its website.

Its data systems are linked to many pieces of critical national infrastructure. After the attack was discovered, German security authorities worked to purge the BKG’s systems of Chinese intruders. The agency says it now believes its databases to be completely secure…

The accusations against Beijing come just weeks after the German government agreed a plan with telecommunications companies to strip Chinese technology from the country’s 5G networks over security concerns.

Germany first to figure out what’s going on with Chinese 5G components

July 19, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: 5G, Bans, China, Chips, Dependency, Espionage, Huawei, Spies, Spying, Technology, ZTE Leave a comment

If you start counting at the end of the line.

Why Chinese technology set off alarm bells in Germany – Even as the German government moves to bar components made by China’s Huawei and ZTE from core parts of the country’s 5G networks, some German companies are looking to work with Chinese firms in other critical areas…

The ban comes as Chinese technology firms are increasingly viewed with suspicions for their allegedly too close ties to the government in Beijing. Especially Beijing’s drive to make companies like Huawei and ZTE world leaders in high-tech sectors makes Western governments wary of giving them too much influence on their national infrastructures.

A self-inflicted hostage-taking situation?

June 14, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Automobiles, China, Dumping, Duties, Electric Vehicles, EU, EVs, Exports, Germany, Imports, Tariffs, Trade, Trade Wars Leave a comment

Why is it that big German automakers are worried about Chinese retaliation?

Because they voluntarily put themselves in the position to be retaliated against. Think Germany’s voluntary dependency on Russian gas recently. That didn’t work out very well either. But for whatever reason, this is what Germans do.

Germany launches 11th-hour bid to avert trade war with China – Germany wants the EU to set tariffs on electric vehicles at a low level to avoid severe retaliation from Beijing…

Germany’s position was “problematic,” he said: While big German automakers still entertain good ties with Beijing, that’s not necessarily the case for smaller businesses, meaning “the German economy as a whole has an interest in a more assertive policy towards China.”

Spies and saboteurs?

May 19, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hi-tech, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: 5G, China, Chips, Espionage, Germany, Huawei, Microchips, Spies, Spying, ZTE Leave a comment

The Chinese? No way.

Communist governments would never do that kind of thing. They just aren’t those kind of people.

Germany could ban China’s Huawei, ZTE from parts of 5G networks – Germany is considering banning certain components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in its telecoms networks, a government source said, in a potentially significant move to address security concerns.

“This is a sign that the German government may finally be taking China-related risks to national security seriously. But after years of dithering, the German 5G network is deeply dependent on Chinese suppliers. It will take many years to unwind this.”

If a frigate and a supply ship is the entire German navy…

May 13, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness Tags: China, Germany, Marine, Navy, Taiwan Leave a comment

I don’t know how much reassurance that’s going to give.

As China flexes muscle, German Navy sails to Asia to reassure allies – European forces signal combat readiness and pitch weaponry to regional partners.

A German frigate and combat supply ship set sail from Europe to Asia this week in a show of support for allies facing China’s “aggressive behavior,” with the defense minister not ruling out the prospect of the vessels passing through the Taiwan Strait.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

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